Clinical Use

Color Vision Deficiency

Color vision deficiency is the inability to distinguish certain shades of color. The term “color blindness” is also used to describe this visual condition, but very few people are completely color blind.

Most people with color vision deficiency can see colors, but they have difficulty differentiating between the following colors:

People who are totally color blind, a condition called achromatopsia, can only see things as black and white or in shades of gray.

Color vision deficiency can range from mild to severe, depending on the cause. It affects both eyes if it is inherited and usually just one if it is caused by injury or illness. In the majority of cases, genetics causes color deficiency.

About 8 percent of Caucasian males are born with some degree of color deficiency. Women are typically just carriers of the color-deficient gene, though approximately 0.5 percent of women have color vision deficiency.